Is ‘Batman: Arkham Insurgency’ the Next Game in the ‘Arkham’ Series?

An anonymous Reddit poster claiming to be an employee at WB Montreal alleges that a recently teased game announcement from Warner Bros. Interactive is a new entry in the Batman: Arkham series. Dubbed Batman: Arkham Insurgency, it is reported to be a direct sequel to 2013’s Batman: Arkham Origins and built on the same engine as Rocksteady’s main trilogy capper Batman: Arkham Knight.

The post, which appeared on the series’ dedicated subreddit, states the game has been in development since 2014 and is scheduled for release this November, with all hands on deck to get it out this year after a second project at the studio – supposedly a Suicide Squad game – was canned. While some may be disappointed to hearWB Montreal aren’t being given the chance to try something new, having cut their teeth on the fun but overly familiar Arkham Origins, the new game will apparently be set in a previously unexplored coastal area of Gotham, which is about the size of the three islands featured in Arkham Knight. More interiors will also be included, and you’ll be able to explore both the Batcave and Wayne Manor.

Look who’s bat, bat again

Being built on the same engine as Arkham Knight, nobody will be surprised to hear that the game’s two headline new features — the Batmobile and the combat interplay between Batman and his allies — will return. However, following some criticism of the vehicular combat in Arkham Knight, the team in Montreal are said to have instead doubled down on speed and maneuverability. Teaming up in combat has been changed and given more depth, as it’s set to be a far bigger part of the game thanks to Robin’s role in the story, which is set against the backdrop of a breakout from both Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison. The main villains are Owlman and the Court of Owls, which may well leave more casual Dark Knight fans wondering if they were scraped from the bottom of the same barrel as Condiment Man.

Other similarly lesser-known adversaries include Maxie Zeus, Dollmaker, Killer Moth, Anarky, and Blockbuster, but regulars like Two Face, Riddler, and – yes – Joker will also feature. In terms of your allies, you can expect Alfred, Lucius Fox, and Barbara Gordon to lend a hand in your latest bid to lock up Gotham’s cronies, and boss battles will play a big role in doing just that.

The Batmobile will reportedly return

Take all that with a pinch of salt for now, but we don’t have too long to wait to find out if there’s some substance to the claims. If they do prove true, it’ll be a pleasant surprise or something of a disappointment that another Arkham game is on its way depending on which side of the fence you sit on. Arkham Origins was serviceable, but definitely suffered from franchise fatigue and a lack of major new ideas, something that this leaked information suggests might also be a problem for Insurgency. This would be the sixth console release in the series after Arkham Asylum in 2009, Arkham City in 2011, Arkham Origins in 2013, Arkham Knight in 2015, and the experimental Arkham VR last year. Handheld adventure Arkham Origins: Blackgate also came out in 2013 and a console port followed shortly afterwards. Most recently, remastered versions of the first two games came to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Images: Warner Bros.

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Tom Acres

Newspaper journalist by day, GeekFeed staff writer by night. In an abusive relationship with Arsenal at weekends.